I live to write…

Honestly, I was starting to get just the tiniest bit worried that I wouldn’t come up with anything to write next month. I’m in both the Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis and a chamber orchestra, and both have concerts in November. I’ve also started playing the Bach Partita No. 2 for solo violin, which I love, and have been practicing that a ton. So with all of that, music has pretty much taken over my life and I’ve given no thought at all to what to write for November. (This is not a bad thing, mind, I love the music.)

But I should know myself better. Even if I’m not actually thinking about something, it is back there stewing away and it comes when I really need it. I have ideas. In fact, I have so many of them–for the same story–that I need to sort out which to use and which to save for another story.

I even have a main character. Her name is Laura and I think she plays the cello. It might be her mother who played the cello, that part’s not clear yet. And I think she’s in her thirties, but she might be in her twenties. Again, not clear because of all the other ideas swarming around in my brain right now. It’s going to follow somewhat the same outline that my 2006 NaNo novel did, in that it’s a mixture of two stories, one that took place in the past and one that takes place in the present. At least, I think that’s what it’s going to be. That’s why Laura’s age isn’t set. She’s either the present day story of this two-fold idea, in which case she’s in her late thirties or early forties. Or she’s just the main character, in which case she might be a little younger, late-twenties. I tend to alternate the age of my main female character from year to year. In 2006 she was in her early 20s (in grad school), in 2007 she was in her late 30s (and a mother), in 2008 she was in her very early 20s (still in college).

I have another character, Grayson, who is either in his 50s or his 80s (depending on which type of story it is). I’m really leaning toward the two-fold idea, with Laura in her late 30s. Grayson is a retired orchestral conductor, in his 80s. And there needs to be a man in Laura’s life. Well, not in it at the beginning of the story. There’s another gray area. There are a lot of gray areas, but it’s kind of fun to have too many ideas. More fun than having none. And right on schedule, too. This is about the time I got my 2006 and 2007 ideas as well. (2008 I had the idea for the entire year.)